Gadfly Media Matters Buys Lunch With Murdoch

WASHINGTON — A group which is a persistent critic of media mogul Rupert Murdoch said Thursday that it had paid $86,000 and won a charity auction to have lunch with the News Corp. chairman.

Media Matters for America said it submitted the winning bid for the lunch with Murdoch through an online charity auction benefitting the Global Poverty Project.

On its website, the nonprofit Media Matters for America group describes its mission as "comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media."

It frequently singles out Murdoch's Fox television network for criticism.

Auction site Charity Buzz described the auction as a "once in a lifetime chance" to sit with Murdoch "face to face over a friendly lunch and get his feedback firsthand on your proposed business ideas."

It said it was valid for a total of six people and would be held in New York at a "mutually convenient" time with Murdoch covering the cost of lunch.

"Winner will be subject to security screening and background check," it stipulated.